{"data":{"id":"us-dc/d.c.-code-7-1141.06e","jurisdiction":"us-dc","citation":"D.C. Code § 7-1141.06e","heading":"Children and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Services program.","body":"(a)\n(1)\nThere is established, within the Department, the Children and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Services program (\"ChAMPS\") to provide children and youth aged 6 to 24 experiencing behavioral health crises with behavioral health services.\n(2)\nBy October 1, 2026, the Department shall award a one-year contract with a non-governmental organization to operate the ChAMPS program.\n\n(b)\nThe non-governmental organization awarded a contract pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this section shall:\n(1)\nBe certified by the Department to provide behavioral health services or youth mobile crisis intervention services;\n(2)\nUtilize developmentally appropriate, family-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed practices;\n(3)\nMaintain staffing levels sufficient to provide timely mobile crisis response services in homes, schools, and community settings;\n(4)\nBe able to coordinate with schools, hospitals, emergency departments, mobile crisis providers, law enforcement, and community-based health providers, as appropriate;\n(5)\nPossess no less than 5 years of experience operating a community-based behavioral health crisis response service for children and youth experiencing behavioral health crises; and\n(6)\nHave previously been awarded a contract by a local, state, or federal agency to operate a community-based mobile behavioral health crises response service for children and youth.\n\n(c)\nThe program established pursuant to this section shall:\n(1)\nProvide developmentally appropriate, evidence-based crisis assessment, and behavioral health crisis intervention services to children and adolescents;\n(2)\nOperate in a manner that prioritizes diversion from emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, and law enforcement involvement;\n(3)\nProvide services in the least restrictive and most clinically appropriate setting possible;\n(4)\nSupport families and caregivers in accessing ongoing behavioral health services and community-based supports; and\n(5)\nProvide crisis stabilization planning, follow-up support, and referrals to ongoing behavioral health services, as appropriate.\n\n(d)\nBy March 1, 2027, the Department shall, in collaboration with the contracted non-governmental organization, the Strengthening Families Through Behavioral Health Coalition, at least one District of Columbia Public School principal or their designee, at least one public charter school principal, and at least 2 school-based behavioral health clinicians, including at least one Department clinician and one community-based organization-employed clinician, submit a report to the Council and the Mayor that includes:\n(1)\nA standardized model protocol to guide schools and community-based organizations in developing school-level protocols for utilizing mobile behavioral health crisis response services for children and youth;\n(2)\nStandardized evaluation and performance metrics for children and youth mobile behavioral health crisis response services, including objective measures related to call answering rates, deployment response times, timeliness of follow-up, referrals and connections to ongoing services, family engagement, and diversion from emergency departments, inpatient hospitalization, and law enforcement involvement; and\n(3)\nRecommendations for improving coordination between schools, behavioral health providers, mobile crisis response teams, families, and the Department to ensure timely access to developmentally appropriate behavioral health crisis intervention services for children and youth.","path":["Title 7. Human Health Care and Safety.","Chapter 11C. Department of Behavioral Health.","Subchapter I. Establishment."],"source_url":"https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/7-1141.06e","current_through":"2026-10-22 (D.C. Law 26-190)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-10-26T05:48:18Z","sha256":"76fedd05f0dc43b105432bd7c185e55d8d6826c638fed8f633979ec7115450cd","source_id":"us-dc","stale":false,"prev":"us-dc/d.c.-code-7-1141.06d","next":"us-dc/d.c.-code-7-1141.07"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}